For a variety of reasons, different cell samples are taken from a selected area of a patient's body and transported to a laboratory facility for subsequent testing and identification. The testing may be related to diagnosis and treatment of illness or DNA research for, among other things, paternity or transplant matching. In the most common use, individual cotton-tipped swabs are prepackaged within paper envelopes. When taking a cell culture or specimen, the swab is removed from the envelope and applied or rubbed against the selected tissue area. The sample is then returned to the envelope and transported to the testing facility. For example, conventionally, buccal samples are collected by abrading the buccal lining with either a cotton-tipped swab, a disposable toothbrush or with one of a number of commercial collection devices. Then, the samples are transported to the testing facility in generic envelopes, plastic bags or plastic storage tubes.
There are several problems with the above-identified method of cell collection. First, conventional transportation devices do not maintain maximum sterility either before or after culture collection. In addition to the unprofessional appearance, unwanted contamination may result from inadvertent handling of the swab while placing it within the transport device. A collection swab should be able to obtain samples from tight areas without introduction of additional contaminants that would provide inaccurate testing results. The sample should then be transported from the collection site to the testing facility without damage or contamination. Additional problems with conventional transport devices include removal and loss of specimen onto the device and inadequate storage of the sample to maintain its effectiveness.
For DNA sampling, the samples must be allowed to sufficiently dry to prevent fungal and bacterial contamination. Thus, conventional devices are manipulated to accommodate drying. Envelopes and bags remain open and unsealed resulting in loss or contamination. Plastic tubes may be drilled or perforated, but the tip is still subjected to contamination.
The cotton swab, itself, is also inefficient and imperfect in collecting the culture. The design of the cotton swab does not allow for the natural variations that occur when taking the sample, such as the concentration and virility of the affected cells in the area for collection. Also, the use of natural fibers, cotton-tipped swab on a wooden stem, present additional contaminants that may be released onto sample surfaces.
Lastly, there is no assurance that the collector swab and the paper envelope are coordinated. In other words, without any pre-designated label, the paper envelope and swab may become separated. Conventional sampling devices are difficult to label effectively and consistently. In a worse-case scenario, cells may be collected from two separate samples and returned to respective envelopes. Some of the specimen may wipe off onto the envelope. Thereafter, the collector swabs may become separated from their respective envelopes and switched resulting in contaminated and effectively useless culture specimens.
There remains a need in the art for a cost-effective cell collection and transport apparatus that overcomes the above-stated problems.